According to the latest study, published in the European Journal of Public Health, regular use of probiotics may cut the necessity for antibiotics and help decrease the rise of antibiotic resistance.

Having performed the analysis of the data, collected from recent studies, the researchers came to the conclusion that infants and children who took a daily probiotic supplement were 29% less likely to be prescribed antibiotics. When analyzed only the highest-quality study, the scientists received even higher figure 53%.

Dr. Daniel Merenstein, from the Department of Family Medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington D.C., says: “Given this finding, potentially one way to reduce the use of antibiotics is to use probiotics on a regular basis.”